RMJ 102 May 27

TUESDAY, MAY 27 ● San Francisco, vs Giants

Any hope we may have had about Mike Hampton returning to form was erased in the first inning, when he walked four batters. Luckily, they didn’t get a hit, so we were only down 1-0. 

Mark Gardner was almost as wild for San Francisco. He flirted with danger throughout the game, but once again, we couldn’t get the big hit to put him away. Gardner can be a tough pitcher when he has the feel for his curve ball and good control of his fastball.

He had neither. The only thing he had going for him was us.

Hampton settled down a bit, but he had several lapses. He left trailing 4-3 after six innings.

We tied the game in the seventh, and Tom Martin and Russ Springer kept it that way.

We had ample opportunity to take the lead with minor-league veteran Joe Roa on the mound, but we couldn’t get it done.

At one point, I pinch-hit with Ken Ramos, hoping Dusty would counter with lefty Rich Rodriguez, who was warming up in the bullpen. I was going to answer that move with Tony Eusebio, but I guess Dusty had preconceived that matchup and preferred Roa/Ramos.

I thought Ramos would give us the lead; we had runners on second and third with one out. The count went full, and Kenny popped out to first base. Dusty walked Biggio, and Ausmus popped out to end the inning.

We failed to score off Rod Beck in the ninth, even though Thomas Howard led off with a single. Bill asked me if I wanted to bunt him over, and I said “No, reinforce the green light,” meaning I wanted Howard to try to steal second base. Beck is slow to the plate, and he rarely throws to first.

Howard waited until the count was 1-2, then broke for second. He had a good jump and would have made it, but Gutierrez fouled the pitch. With two strikes, Gutierrez had no choice but to swing.

This is typical of the way we are playing: a little too tentative.

The reason I didn’t have Ricky bunt was threefold:

 

• The possibility of the steal
• A lack of confidence that he would get the bunt down
• Ricky is hot. He’s hitting around .400, and had already hit three line drives in this game

 

Well, he hit another hot shot on the second 1-2 pitch. It was headed up the middle, but it hit the side of the mound and caromed slightly off to the side, toward shortstop José Vizcaino. Vizcaino made a brilliant play on the ball and flipped it backhanded to Jeff Kent. Kent barehanded the ball and nipped Ricky by an eyelash at first.

It was a tremendous double play, but it left me wondering if Ricky was running full-out. It seemed like he should have been able to beat the throw if he was running all out. I asked Bill if he had noticed, and he said he was watching the ball, like I was.

Should I have bunted? In retrospect, yes. In the future, under the same conditions? No. Howard had the base stolen, and Ricky hit the ball hard. The two things I was hoping for, happened — but not at the right time.

This time I used Wagner in a tie game. Why not? We have the day off tomorrow.

Billy mowed them down in the ninth.

With two outs in the tenth, Bagwell singled between third and short, and when Barry Bonds was a little too casual going after the ball, Bags raced into second, safe by an inch. What a ballplayer!

This effort forced Dusty to walk González. I could have hit for Berry, who is slumping, with Spiers, who is hot. But Dusty had a lefthander ready, and in the long run, if we don’t get RBI from Berry, we’re not going to make it.

 

For an instant, it looked like Sean was going to drive both runners home. He hit a hard line drive to left-center, but the Giants were playing him to pull, and Stan Javier made a nice running catch.

Everyone in the ballpark was anticipating the confrontation between Bonds and Wagner in the bottom of the tenth. Wagner got out in front 0-2, then he threw a pitch that was close enough to be called a strike, but was called a ball.

Bonds hit the next offering to center. He hit it so hard it should have been a home run, but the wind held it and he stopped at second.

Kent tried to bunt, and he popped out to Ausmus. Then, on a 3-1 pitch, Wagner hit Mark Lewis on the wrist — or did he?

Umpire Jim Quick, he of the reversed balk call, motioned Lewis to first. I couldn’t tell what the ball hit, so I just stood there for a moment. Then I realized that Lewis stood for a moment before he went to first.

I ran out of the dugout and confronted Quick.

“That ball hit the bat!” I said.

“No, it hit the batter,” Quick replied.

“Then why did he just stand there?” I asked. “Don’t you think he would have grabbed his arm if it hurt, or immediately run to first if it hit him? He didn’t do anything, which tells me it hit the bat.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “It would have been ball four anyway.”

“Not if it hit the bat. It would have been strike two.”

 “Well, I saw it hit him.”

 “You saw it nick him at 98 MPH.” I said. “I can understand if you heard it hit meat rather than wood. But I don’t think you could see it. I know I couldn’t.”

“I saw it hit him, Larry, and that’s that.”

As I headed back to the dugout, I wasn’t really mad at Quick. He has been firm-but-civil the two times we have argued. I know he is doing his best, but I feel like he owes me one now. I don’t expect him to try and make good; that wouldn’t be right. But if he does happen to call one our way, I will be satisfied that we deserve it.

In this game, the call had only minor significance; we had considered walking Lewis anyway. His run meant nothing. Still, on a 3-2 pitch, Wagner might have struck him out, which would have changed the way the game ended.

It ended when Stan Javier chopped a grounder to short. It was a little bit toward the hole, and Ricky was playing up the middle to hold Bonds. Still, it was a weak chopper, and I was expecting a force at second at the very least.

For some reason, Ricky couldn’t get started. By the time he got to the ball, he had to stretch for it, and it bounced off his glove and into left field. There is no question in my mind that this ball should have been fielded, but it was not.

The way Ricky is hitting, it seemed our shortstop problems were over. But the fact that he couldn’t beat the rap on the double play in the ninth, then couldn’t get to the ball in the tenth, casts some doubt on his speed. I know he’s not fast, but I thought he was at least average in the speed department. Now, I wonder.

We won’t be able to win our division without decent fielding at short. Now the only way I know I can get the glovework is to play Tim Bogar. Bogey is a good fielder, but he has never hit much. Right now, we need the hitting at least as much as the fielding.

 

After the game, I was asked if I felt good about Wagner facing Bonds.

“I feel good about Wagner facing anyone,” I said. “But I’ll tell you this: Bonds is going to get his hits off anyone. He hit an 82 MPH changeup yesterday, and a 98 MPH fastball today. I know he hasn’t hit well yet this year, but he is still one of the best hitters in baseball.”

 

It was with a heavy heart that I left Candlestick Park for Los Angeles and my father’s memorial service. My sadness was replaced with anger when I was misinformed by a United Airlines representative at the airport, and almost missed my plane.

Judy was starving, but she didn’t have time to eat — even though we were at the airport an hour-and-a-half before flight time. Somehow, the pretzels we got on the plane seemed inadequate.

Well, at least we would see a friendly face at the Burbank airport. I called home just before we got on the plane. The line was busy, but I left a message. When we got to the airport, no one was there. I called home, and Mom told me that when she heard the recording from AT&T, she thought it was someone trying to sell her something.

We took a cab home, and though I was weary when we arrived, I was still mad. The family was having dinner, and there was food for us.

I’m sure everyone thought I was antisocial when I declined dinner in favor of a swim. After thrashing out a mile in the water, I felt better. I attacked the leftovers, then Rick gave me a Cuban cigar.

 

A glass of wine and a little smoke did wonders. I rejoined the family on the lanai, and we shared more feelings about Dad and planned our presentation for tomorrow’s memorial service.